P/O Kenneth Gowing, Sgt W Dineen. 44 Sqd

Hi I know this is a long shot but I’m trying to find any more information about this flight and crew. Edward Gardner the wireless operator was my wife’s grandfather, I’ve been working on finding out more about him and came across this post. 

Cannot believe I missed this thread!!

SpitfirePRXIX I have PM’ed you today.

Since this thread was last added to we did finally raise the £70k we needed to restore the memorial that Kenneth is commemorated on here in Essex. For a before and after of what we achieved have a look at our site

www.wickfordmemorial.com and go to ‘the story so far’ and ‘gallery’ pages.

He is amongst many other RAF guys from our town, whose memory is now kept firmly alive here.

Kind regards
Steve

Fascinating stuff ! Thanks for sharing, looking forward to the rest of the story !

Bill, is your father still with us?

No. My father died in 1957 of a meningitis of some kind. He was sick only 10 days. I was 8 years old.
I didn’t know anything about him except that he was an airman, rear gunner and was shot down. My mother was never told very much.
I was inspired to research this as my youngest daughter asked me relentlessly for a number of years that she wanted to know about her grandfather. So, I began my research. It was about five years before I got a lead to the crew and actual facts.
I’ll post more, but have to go now.
Bill Dineen

Do you mean “windows” or “window”, i.e the radar countermeasure?

I guess I mean “Window”, the radar countermeasure. Apparently they were stored up above the spot where his parachute hung and the evasive action caused things to fall all over the place.

Bill, is your father still with us?

Thread title changed to mark your contribution

Moggy

Fascinating stuff, Bill.

More please!:)

This part of your story:

…As they were burning the bomb aimer was having difficulty getting the front hatch open and lost his parachute under a pile of windows that had fallen down. He finally found the chute and pulled off the hatch and dove out head first.
…

Do you mean “windows” or “window”, i.e the radar countermeasure?

Please Carry on! I live in south woodham ferrers, about 5 miles east of Wickford.

LM631 KMW

I have a couple of boxes of information regarding this Lancaster which my Dad was Rear Gunner on. I have MI6 documents, Loss Card copy, Scotland Yard investigation after the war, newspaper articles from Canada, to mention a couple from memory. I’ll tell a bit of the story from memory without checking my notes so here goes.
I got this from the bomb aimer; The fateful trip began with a ride out to the bomber in a lory. My Dad (Sgt. Dineen) realized that he had forgotten his lucky scarf given to him by a WAF. When he realized this, it was too late to go back. This put a damper on the crew’s spirits as they were very superstitious. I believe he told me they were in the third wave to go in over the Caves at St. Leu De’Esserent. They dropped their load and then dashed for the channel and the safety of England. On the trip back they had fought off four fighters and the rear gunner announced over the PA that due to either guns jammed or ammunition problems he was down to one machine gun. The Mid-upper gunner announced he had enough ammunition for one more burst only.
From here on I’ve information from Bishop, Halhead and Wilkinson so I’ll just put together the composite story. They were then attacked by a JU88 firing the upwards firing 20 MM cannon, I believe is called schraga music ???. They were hit and took evasive action but the JU88 got them with a second shot. Ken Gowing anounced “put on parachutes. Jump. Jump.” As they were burning the bomb aimer was having difficulty getting the front hatch open and lost his parachute under a pile of windows that had fallen down. He finally found the chute and pulled off the hatch and dove out head first.
The rear gunner went out the back door, followed by the mid upper gunner. The next must have been Bishop as Eddie Gardiner was the last out and hit the tail plane as he had no one to push him down to miss it. He lost his front teeth and was knocked out. Bishop was going to go forward to that hatch but saw the pilot and flight engineer slumped and the bomb aimer slumped too but he was actually struggling with the hatch. Bishop then headed for the rear exit. They wondered afterwards if Ken Gowing kept the aeroplane level to allow their escape.
If I’ve got anyone’s interest I can carry with what happened after the bail out.
Let me know.
I think some of the inaccuracies in the newspaper article posted was due to the language barrier when I was there. I am one of the people in this newspaper picture and I shared the other pictures with someone so that is how they ended up on-line.
Bill Dineen Jr.

Our interest in even the minutest details of the men of WW2 aviation never goes away. Post as much information as you have and you will be playing a part in keeping your relative’s memory alive in a forum where his courage is respected and valued.

Welcome, by the way Bill.

Moggy

Son of Rear Gunner

Evening, i was wondering if anyone had anymore information P/O Kenneth Gowing, or his crew or anything else.

My Great Grandparents lived in Wickford, and their neighbour, was Mrs Gowing, Kenneth’s Mother, He was lost on a raid on the night of 8th July 1944,over Lucy France, Flying a mark three Lancaster, KM – W, LM631 unfortuantly he and his flight engineer were KIA, and buried in Lucy cemetary, the rest of the crew were apparently POW’s or on the run. I assume, looking at Bomber commands war diary, they were attacking supporting ground troops near Caen, anyway, his mother had no sons left so she gave my grandad Kenneth’s teddy bear, this was then passed to my Dad, and then to me, ever since iv’e been trying to find out about it’s original owner.

Hope i haven’t wasted your time,

regards
SpitfirePRXIX

I hope this thread is still active. I’m the son of the Rear Gunner of this Lancaster. My second name is named after the pilot Kenneth Gowing. I have also researched this crew and what happened extensively and some of the information obtained in this thread is in accurate. I’ll post more when I can but in the meantime, I’d like a response to see if this is still an active interest. Thanks, Bill Dineen Jr.

Yes, he is on page 103 of “Wickford’s Heroes” – blatant plug here:

http://www.wickford-war-memorial.com/The_Book.htm
(that’s my rellie to the right of the five small photos at the top of the page).

As I had a personal involvement in creating it, and am acquainted with it’s author, I wouldn’t be particularly comfortable scanning the appropriate parts (copyright and all that), but I guess I could transcribe the entry, and then leave it up to you if you want to buy it and see the pictures (it’s a good read, and also a fundraiser to improve the present underwhelming Wickford war memorial)?

Adrian

[QUOTE=kev35;1581765]Doug.

If Lost Bombers is such a big issue, why haven’t those offended by it’s presence taken action to see that it is closed down?

Any news on whether or not your excellent Lancaster Roll of Honour is either continuing in print form or going on CD?

Hi Kevin, I thought that if I gave that old Walsall Terrier a prod, I would get a reaction. That site cannot be closed down as it has been paid for, in advance, for a few more months.
The CD Rom is now ready and covers the period from May to December 1943.
Details on PlaneTalk.
Regards, Doug.

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/redtarget/Lancaster%20LM631%20accounts.htm

I found a picture of him and his crew, some newspaper cuttings, after a trawl through google. It’s fascinating finding out about individuals, and their stories.

Thanks for the help chaps

In Flight Archive listed as Missing Dec 44: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%202596.html
From L’Oise 1939-45 website http://oise-1939-1945.jed.st/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=346&sid=b9bb0cfdf0f0699be0f8b93152753ee3

7/8 July 1944
208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos, mainly from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d’Esserent. The bombing was accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads, thus blocking access to the flying bombs stored there.

German night fighters intercepted the bombing force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos were lost, 14.0 per cent of the force. No 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and No 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander WI Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omerville, north-west of Versailles.

The following aircraft from each squadron is detailed below:
9 Squadron sent JA690 WS-M, JA957 WS-D, JB116 WS-T,
44 Squadron sent ME634 KM-P, ME859 KM-S, LM631 KM-W
49 Squadron sent LL976 EA-A, LM541 EA-N,
50 Squadron sent DV363 VN-K, DV227 VN-L, PA996 VN-J
57 Squadron sent ME868 DX-K, JB370 DX-O, LM522 DX-G,
61 Squadron sent R5856 QR-U, ND867 QR-V
83 Squadron sent ND966 OL-C,
106 Squadron sent JB663, ME789, LL953, PB191, ME668, ME778, LM215, PB144, ME831, JB593, LL948, JB641, PB122, PB248, PB284, LM211
207 Squadron sent LL902, ND866, ND555, ME814, ME805, LL968, ND872, LM208, LM218, LM535, LM123, ME807, ME681, ND567, ME667, LM129
467 Squadron sent LM219 PO-G, LM338 PO-U,
619 Squadron sent ME745 PG-L
630 Squadron sent ME688 LE-R,

All I was doing was trying to help someone gather the information they require.

Same here, using what resources are available.

If Kenneth was from Wickford, he should be in Steve Newman’s book, “Wickford’s Heroes”. I’ll try to have a look tonight.

Adrian

Doug.

Lost Bombers is a resource that often adds a little more than Chorley offers. You might have noticed that I quoted Chorley first. All I was doing was trying to help someone gather the information they require.

I don’t pretend to understand the politics of the Lost Bombers website. I understand that the creator is now deceased. That’s for others to argue, not me.

I don’t believe petty wranglings should undermine the essential need for the memories of those who perished to be perpetuated. Surely it’s more important for those who show interest to be encouraged?

If Lost Bombers is such a big issue, why haven’t those offended by it’s presence taken action to see that it is closed down?

Any news on whether or not your excellent Lancaster Roll of Honour is either continuing in print form or going on CD?

Regards,

kev35

Thanks Kev and Avro, i will look further into it.

Kenneth Joseph GOWING was commissioned on 17/5/44, from Sgt, 1468379.
The evaders were as follows;
Edwin Glynn BISHOP. From Liverpool.
Alfred James HALHEAD. From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edward William GARDNER. From Elgin, Moray, Scotland.
Ronald WILKINSON. From Wyke, Bradford, W.Yorks.
Wallace William DINEEN. From Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Research in these areas, via local newspapers, may turn up something.

Message for Kevin; I am surprised at you promoting that Lost Bombers site.
Regards, Doug.

I’m probably not going to get you much further on this one but here’s what I’ve found from the web and my books so far.

I presume you’ve seen this link to his page on the CWGC website?

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2688980

The target for the night was a V-1 storage depot at St.-Leu-d’Esserent. Chorley’s BCL gives the following…..

T/O 2230 Dunholme Lodge similarly tasked. Came down at about 0130 near Lucy (Seine – Maritime) some 8 km N of Neufchatel-en-Bray. P/O Gowing and Sgt McDonald are buried in Lucy Communal Cemetery.

Crew:
P/O K J Gowing killed.
Sgt R J McDonald killed.
Sgt E G Bishop evaded.
Sgt A J Halhead RCAF evaded.
Sgt E W Gardner evaded.
Sgt R Wilkinson evaded.
Sgt W W Dineen RCAF evaded.

The Lost Bombers website has the following on this link.

http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=344

I can’t find the date for his Commission in the London Gazette but that’s probably because I’m not using the site properly.

Hope this is of interest.

Regards,

kev35